As we soon say farewell to 2022 and look toward 2023, we might feel a sense of eager anticipation.  Or we might feel a sense of “Boy, that was a year,” and perhaps only eagerness to be done with it all while hoping for an easier year ahead.

I don’t think there is anyone that was not touched by some of the hardships faced by so many, war and hunger, natural disasters, financial pressure, a continued pandemic, the loss of jobs and loved ones, and the feeling that we live in a very violent world where our loved ones and we are not safe.  The division in our world cannot be lost on any of us, and it can feel overwhelming.

But, I can say without a doubt that I don’t just think BUT KNOW that some of those difficult experiences don’t necessarily change us for the worst.  In fact, they often can change us for the best.  They spur us to move.  We learn.  We summon resources that we didn’t know we had.  We rise to the occasion.  We often find that we are stronger than we knew.  We often are surprised that some people around us are much more supportive and available to us than we imagined.

One of my coaching clients, in reflecting back on 2022 in anticipation of our next steps, reeled off a list of nearly super-human accomplishments, changes, and acts of courage.  Yep, I’m proud of that on behalf of both of us!  And there were others.  People faced challenges and yet left unsatisfying jobs and found better jobs, made music and tv shows, got promotions, moved across the country, confronted family dramas and established boundaries for themselves, and set a higher standard for how they choose to be treated.  Some ended draining relationships, and others made lifetime commitments to others.

I know of quite a number of people this year who took what most would call a “leap of faith,” acting in spite of uncertainty and deciding that they would create something wonderful no matter what.  It took courage, energy, confidence, belief in themselves, and faith in a supportive universe.  It required confidence that the Universe, or whatever we might choose to call it, is granting all of our wishes for us if we can line up our energy and beliefs to match that energy.  And I would lump myself in with that group as well, as I courageously made big changes.  We were not untouched by the challenges of the past year, but we moved forward, we took risks, and we continued to have faith in ourselves and the Universe.

And there is something very beautiful that happens when we do that!

When we are willing to act without knowing for sure that we will be successful in whatever we are hoping to create, we are compelled to turn our fear into excitement.  If we choose to succeed, there is no other option.  And it certainly feels so much better.  Interestingly, the emotion of fear has much in common with the emotion of excitement.  It’s just a shift.  It’s just a tweak to the thoughts we keep thinking.

And it’s that tweak that results in our expansion, that thing we came into this life to do!

One way to ease that shift from fear to excitement is to realize that what are often thought of as big leaps of faith actually are preceded by many small acts of faith, baby steps toward what we desire.

The casual observer might look at what they perceive as a giant leap into the unknown as amazing and courageous, and remarkable.  And, in some senses, it is all of that.  Yet, any of us who have made a decision to do something new and take a chance on ourselves and the Universe knows that the process has been not a giant leap but a daily, hourly, or even minute-to-minute decision to move forward using the best information we have.  We trust that the steps that feel best are the best.  We use logic but allow our intuition, our connection to Divine Intelligence, to be our guide.  And we feel much less fearful and much more excited.

When you move with even a little faith, the Universe responds accordingly. You can even stay mostly within your comfort zone and still tap into the full power that is available to you.  Using your intuition to choose what feels best in each moment will have some people calling you lucky.  That actually happened to me recently.  The comment was more along the lines of “You got lucky.”  I chose to let it go and smile, realizing that I wasn’t likely to change this person’s worldview during a casual group dinner.  I resisted the urge to say, “No, actually I did this, and then this, and then this and then thought this and this and this ……. This is how that really went down.”

So, as we look forward to the new beginnings that will come with 2023, we can choose to see not huge challenges but small steps that will feel like the next logical step, like the move that feels best, and that will lead us to be that person that others may think of as lucky.

There is nothing for you to go back and live over, or fix, or feel regret about now. Every part of your life has unfolded just right. And so —now — knowing all that you know from where you now stand, now what do you want? The answers are now coming forth to you. Go forth in joy, and get on with it.  Abraham

Wishing you an amazing 2023 filled with small steps of faith and giant manifestations!